


A Star's Shadow

by orphan_account



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Country!Krypton, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-11 09:38:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7886020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kara Danvers hated flying after her parents were killed in a plane crash. However, sitting next to a certain other passenger makes the whole ordeal far more bearable.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow the original version of this got deleted, but after a Nonnie pointed that out, the lovely Krystalgoderitch sent me over a copy she had saved! Thank you!

Before the Danvers had been added to her name, Kara had loved flying. She could still remember sitting in her mother’s lap during some cross-country flight, listening to Alura describe the history of whichever city they were flying over. Travel by plane had been a common occurrence in their family, with both Alura and Zor-El needing to travel often for work. As soon as Kara had been old enough to fly without crying for hours on end, her parents would take her with them, showing her the various parts of Krypton in the process. A love of flying had been instilled from her since a young age, one which Kara never thought she would part with.

But then, in a haze of fire and smoke, Kara’s love of flying had been destroyed. No one had let her see or hear of the carnage in great detail, but that did not change the facts. Her parents, alongside her uncle and aunt, had all perished in the one flight Kara had been forbade from accompanying them on. School had been Alura’s excuse, although years later Kara had been informed that it was a meeting with Krypton’s military forces, something Alura and Zor-El would not have wanted Kara to be involved with.

So after Kara’s flight from Argo City to Midvale, she had avoided flying as much as possible. It was unavoidable at times, although the Danvers had always done their best to keep their travel plans firmly rooted on solid ground. Still, on the few times flying was inescapable, Kara indulged in extra comforts to keep herself from panicking. She hated crying in front of and worrying the flight staff, so Kara tried to pull on a brave face until she returned home to her own apartment and could cry into Alex’s arms or, if Alex was working, into a tub of ice cream.

First class was the one major splurge Kara allowed herself while flying. The extra space made it easier to decompress and focus on whatever book or music she was using to distract herself, and the extra attention from the flight attendants didn’t hurt, either. It made the ordeal semi-bearable, depending on which individual she was seated next to.

Sitting near the aisle — the window was always worse — and flipping through the inflight magazine, Kara impatiently tapped the armrest as she waited for the rest of the passengers to board. The seat next to her was still empty and Kara worried that another self-centered, up-and-coming executive with an overly active libido and an under functioning prefrontal cortex would take it. It had only happened once, but her vow to never cry on a plane again had been broken that day.

“It’s for Kal-El,” she murmured under her breath. “It’s for Kal-El.”

That reminder had been more useful on the way to Metropolis, when Kara’d yet to see her cousin. Returning to National City, though, the reassurance seemed to fall flat as her heart hammered in her chest. But not coming home simply wasn’t an option and with work, car and train were both impossible options.

With nervous eyes, Kara searched the faces of the other passengers filing into the plane, waiting to see which person would claim the seat next to her. A part of her was disappointed when a kind looking, elderly woman walked past her. She had turned around to see where the woman sat when she felt a tap on her shoulder, causing her to jump.

“Excuse me?” A young boy, no older than twelve, with curly brown hair and shy eye was standing in front of her, awkwardly eyeing the window seat. “I-I think that’s my seat?”

“Oh!” Kara jumped up and shuffled out into the aisle so the boy could get in.

He smiled back bashfully and slide his way into his seat, pressing his bag firmly to his chest. As Kara returned to her own seat, she snuck a quick glance of the young boy once more. It struck her as odd that a kid so young would be flying nonstop across the country all by himself, but then again, she’d been only a few years older than him when she crossed the Atlantic and the United States all alone.

She debated introducing herself, but the boy’s phone was out and he seemed to be engrossed with whatever he was texting. Probably something to the person who dropped him off at the airport or to whoever would pick him up in National City. So she returned to her magazine and flipped through the pages harmlessly, hoping that the plane would take off soon and she could get the whole ordeal over with.

It took thirty minutes before the pilot announced that there was going to be a delay. If it hadn’t been for the reason — weather — Kara’s heart might not have been in her throat, but the panicky feeling of everything going wrong started to rise within her. She might have broken down completely if it wasn’t for a similar look forming on the boy’s face, as well.

Rather than focus on her own panic, Kara tried to pull on a brave face for his sake. “I guess if we’re gonna be sitting next to each other for the next seven hours, I should introduce myself,” she said with an attempt at casualness. “I’m Kara Danvers.”

The boy was shy, that much was clear, and while he didn’t quite meet her eyes, he did lift a hand in recognition and offered his name. “I’m Carter. Grant.”

“It’s really nice to meet you, Carter.” Kara grinned back at him, feeling an odd sense of victory at having learned his name. Even if it was the only thing he said to her for the rest of the flight, flying next to someone she knew the name of felt better than flying next to a total stranger. The easiest flight she’d ever been on had been next to an elderly woman named Margaret who kept talking with her for five hours straight about everything, from peach cobbler recipes to favorite skiing location on the west coast.

Carter returned her smile, though with far less fervency than Kara. “You too.”

The response encouraged her to try and spark up a real conversation, despite the fact Kara wasn’t entirely sure what to say to a pre-teenage boy. She had a feeling he wouldn’t find Margaret’s _delicious_ peach cobbler recipe all that interesting.

“So do you live in Metropolis?” Kara asked, unsure what else to ask. It was a stereotypical plane conversation, yes, but it was also a safe one.

Carter shook his head. “I live in National City with my mom. My dad lives in Metropolis.”

“Oh, cool!” Carter shrugged, making Kara think he had a different opinion on the matter, so she quickly continued on. “I live in National City, too.”

Carter nodded politely, but not for the first time, casted a wary look out the window at the technicians on the tarmac. Kara had pointedly been avoiding doing just that and while she still felt uneasy at the delay, Kara felt like she had to say something. “Hey, it’s not that bad. Planes get delayed all the time.”

“I know, it’s just—” Carter hesitated, looking down at the phone in his hands again. “I haven’t seen my mom in a month.”

Well, if Kara wasn’t already sympathetic towards the boy, she definitely was at that. “I’m sorry.” It was a ridiculous thing to say and entirely inadequate, but there was nothing else Kara had to offer.

“If it’s just an hour, it’s not that big of a deal,” Carter murmured. “Pilots can make up time in the air, so, you know.”

“Really? I thought that was just a little white lie that the pilot says to make everyone feel better,” Kara said.

Carter shook his head slowly and pointed to the map in the magazine that was still open on Kara’s lap. “I mean, they can’t do it for all flights, but they usually do for flights like Metropolis to National City. Since they’re really popular.”

“That’s amazing. How do you know that?” The kid was traveling alone in first class. For all Kara knew, he could be the grandson of the man who owned the company. Although on second thought, he would probably flying in some private jet if that were the case.

“My mom published an article on it a while ago,” he explained with a small, crooked smile.

“Published?”

“She works in journalism,” Carter offered as an explanation. “I get to hear her rant about the articles she’s publishing sometimes.”

Kara let out a half-laugh, picturing Alex going off on work related rants of her own. It was certainly an experience to be had. “I get it.”

“What do you do?” Carter asked, making it the first question Kara hadn’t supplied.

“I’m a case manager for social services.” It had been an easy career choice, after having lost her own family and realizing how many other children were in similar situations. Of course, as the daughter of a highly political and influential couple in Krypton, her adoption process had been somewhat different than those of the children’s she worked with. But the career fulfilled her in a way Kara didn’t think could be otherwise.

For the first time, Carter looked her straight in the eye. “That’s so cool!”

“Really?” From adults, Kara was used to hearing words of praise about how self-sacrificial her career was, but children typically didn’t understand, nor were they particularly interested. Not that she discussed her work with a lot of kids in the first place.

“Yeah!” Carter was actually leaning forward a bit, much to Kara’s surprise. “You help kids, right? Like, try to help get them adopted or safe in the foster care?”

Kara couldn’t help but grin as Carter spoke. “I mean, a lot of times I’m trying to make sure that they’re safe with their biological families, but yeah. That’s sort of what I do.”

“But I thought if they were taken out of their families, it’s cause they were unsafe?” Carter scrunched his nose in thought, clearly upset with the idea of children being returned to dangerous home environments.

“Well, not exactly. There are times where a home used to be dangerous, but the parents have tried really hard to change their ways. And social services tries to provide them with programs to really encourage that sort of change,” Kara explained. “There are still some instances where it’s too dangerous to return the kids to their biological parents, but there’s a lot of evidence that removing kids from their homes is really damaging.”

The two of them spent nearly two hours discussing the foster care system, much to Kara’s surprise. The only break in their conversation had been when the plane took off and Kara had squeezed her eyes tight and held onto the armrest with practical super strength. Carter, to his credit, said nothing beyond, “Are you okay?” To which Kara had whispered an affirmative. After the initial rush ended, their conversation had resumed to its normal pace.

After explaining the difference in work between a social worker and a case manager, Kara hadn’t been able to resist asking, “So what got you so interested in foster care?” With both of his parents in his life and one clearly affluential, it was hard to see where the interest had been sparked.

Carter tensed at the question and looked skeptically around him. “It’s kinda a serious story.”

Kara nodded in understanding. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it.” They were, after all, essential strangers.

“No it’s just,” Carter hesitated and Kara waited patiently for him to continue, whether as a refusal to tell the story or otherwise. “A little after my parents got a divorce, my dad, he’s a good guy now, but he wasn’t then. I was only five, so I can’t really remember anything, but my dad took me out of the state without telling my mom.”

It was not the sort of story Kara was unfamiliar with, although she personally had never dealt with such a case. They were a different kind of horror story than the public typically received, heartbreaking in their own way.

“I don’t really know the details, but I ended up with social services in Idaho. My mom wouldn’t let me see my dad unsupervised until two years ago,” Carter practically whispered. “But I still remember the woman who took care of me in Idaho. We still send her Christmas cards.”

“I’m sure she loves those,” Kara said honestly. “And I’m really happy you get to see your father now. I bet he really loves you.”

“Yeah,” Carter admitted, yawning shortly after. It was near ten o’clock by Metropolis’s time.

“You wanna take a nap?” Kara asked, trying to hide a grin.

Carter looked skeptically at her. “I want to keep talking, though.”

Kara indulged him in his wish for only a short while longer before he ended up nodding off mid-conversation. Kara hated flying, but with a conversationalist such as Carter Grant, it was bearable. Putting in her headphones to drown out the sound of plane jets, Kara closed her eyes and waited for time to pass, knowing sleep would never find her.


	2. Chapter 2

Roughly an hour after Carter had fallen asleep, during which time Kara had spent the majority listening to music and flipping through an art book she’d purchased in one of Metropolis’s museums, the seat belt light flipped on overhead. The sinking feeling in her stomach proved right when the pilot’s voice flooded through the cabin via the speaker system, asking all passengers to return to their seats and informing them that they should expect a small amount of turbulence in a moment.

Small, Kara thought, gripping the arm rests as tightly as humanly possible, was a word highly relative in nature. What the trembling plane felt like to those not terrified of flying, Kara wasn’t sure, but to her, it was bone shaking. Despite her grip on her seat, Kara’s entire body felt like jelly, useless and insecure. The fact Carter was sleeping through it all baffled Kara beyond comprehension, although she was barely able to register any thought beyond the immediate safety of the plane.

“It’s fine,” she muttered lowly to herself. “I’m fine.”

Kara had not admitted to the flight crew of her fear of flying when she first boarded, as she never did. The extra attention only ever served to heighten her anxiety and while she appreciated the effort, she didn’t feel comfortable being fawned over by a host of strangers. Even on the one occasion she’d been forced to fly with her adoptive family as a teen, Eliza hadn’t overstepped her boundaries, instead merely holding one of Kara’s hands and rubbing circles on the back of it. Alex had proven herself worthless in the situation, simply reminding Kara that she was more likely to die by fireworks than an airplane crash.

A strong jolt managed to wake the sleeping boy next to her, who blinked awake in an enviously calm manner. Had Kara been in a slightly more manageable state, she would have tried to force herself into a more relaxed disposition, but another jolt kept her from trying to put on a brave face. When Carter looked in her direction, her distress must have been obvious.

“Are you okay?” he asked with concern.

Kara attempted a smile, but she doubted she had any great success. “Yeah,” she breathed, unsure if he was able to actually hear it. “Totally.”

Carter shuffled in his seat, assessing the situation and attempting to come up with something encouraging. Internally, Kara cursed herself for not being more of an adult and instead making a kid she’d only met three hours ago think he had to calm her down. “Did you know,” he started, “that between 2000 and 2013, there were absolutely no deaths caused by air turbulence?”

Kara could remember Alex saying something of that sort the last time Kara stepped on a plane, but she shook her head anyways. Her eyes screwed shut at another violent jerk from the plane, but that one lurch was an exception, as the plane slowly stabled itself once more.

“See?” Carter whispered. “Almost over.”

As if to prove him right, the pilot spoke once more, alerting them that the worst of it was over and the skies should be clear until National City. Kara let out an unsteady breath and opened her eyes again to see a flight attendant walking towards their aisle.

“Are you alright?” she asked in a sweet, high voice. Kara nodded with a grateful smile. The attendant placed an arm on her shoulder reassuringly and turned to Carter. “And you, Mr. Grant? Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Carter said in a shy, polite voice. “Thank you.”

When the flight attendant walked away, Kara turned to Carter with a slanted grin. “She knows your name? Mr Big Shot over here.”

Despite rolling his eyes, Carter couldn’t keep the smirk off his lips. “I am a minor.”

“Still,” Kara teased.

Carter’s smirk didn’t disappear from his lips immediately, but after a moment’s hesitation, he did summon up the courage to ask, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

As impressive as the young man beside her was, Kara was not about to confide in him the reasons she was extremely paranoid of flying. Still, she didn’t think brushing it aside would be even remotely believable, so she gave an awkward laugh and shrugged. “I had a bad experience flying when I was a kid, so it kinda freaks me out now. But I’m okay. Promise.”

With only a slight amount of disbelief, Carter nodded and let the subject go. Kara sincerely hoped that she would get the opportunity to meet his mother briefly once they landed — Kara had the opportunity to meet with dozens of children in her line of work, many of whom she found remarkable, but Carter was an impressive young man.

The drama over, he stretched as much as possible in the limited space provided by the aircraft, still sore from sleep. “How long was I out?” he asked, running a hand over his eyes to rub away the remnants of sleep.

“About an hour,” Kara told him, glancing at her watch. “It’s a little past six in National City. Excited to be home?”

Carter, who had looked disappointed that more time hadn’t passed by while he was asleep, nodded. “Yeah.”

“Me too,” Kara admitted. Spending time with her cousin had been great, but a week away from home was always somewhat stressful, especially when she was traveling alone. If Kara had her way, she would only ever travel via road trips with Alex, bickering over the radio and trying to see how far they could make it in one day. One summer, they’d gone twenty hours before stopping — a story which Eliza had not been thrilled to hear.

The rest of the flight passed, true to the pilot’s word, without any violent shaking. Carter and Kara spent a bit of time engrossed in their own books, phones, and music, occasionally asking the odd question. That comfortable silence lasted for quite some time, until Kara eventually grew restless with the silence of it all and asked Carter what he was reading. The book — an anthology on exotic plants found in South America — had come from Metropolis’s Botanical Gardens, sparking a conversation on where each had visited in their respective trips.

“How many art museums did you visit?” Carter asked incredulously after Kara listed off the fifth that Kal-El had taken her to.

“Like, six?” Kara guessed. It might have been seven, depending on one’s definition of art museum. “But tell me more about the space museum.”

It was not until the pilot announced their descent into the city that their conversation dwindled back down into an easy silence. When the plane touched the tarmac, Carter sat up much straighter and as they waited to arrive at their gate, his foot began incessantly tapping. His sudden burst of energy, despite the late hour, amused Kara greatly. Having not slept at all, she felt like she was about to collapse. Even the prospect of seeing Alex didn’t do much to make up for her sheer exhaustion, unlike Carter who appeared completely rejuvenated at the thought of seeing his mother.

“Relax, buddy,” Kara said in half jest. “We’re almost there.”

Carter tried to keep his leg from bouncing at her comment, but the energy simply traveled to his fingers, which began drumming against his knee impatiently. Soon enough, they were being allowed off the plane in the same, awkward shuffle as always. One of the main reasons Kara appreciated her first class ticket was the fact she could get off the flying metal death trap sooner.

Almost the exact moment they stepped onto the carpet of National City International City, Carter’s pace increased to a speed Kara almost didn’t bother to keep up with. A part of her was reminding herself that she was not responsible for the young boy, but the rest didn’t feel comfortable leaving him alone in an airport as large as National City’s. Given how early it was, there were only a handful of people to even pay attention to them, but given that they were going to the same location, Kara followed anyways.

Her worry proved valid when he almost took a wrong turn. “Carter, this way,” she said, pointing to the sign above them. He smiled sheepishly at her and quickly corrected his path.

“Thanks,” he murmured as he fell into step with her. “Do you have anyone picking you up?”

“Yep! My sister stayed up so she could drive me home.” The first text Kara’d received once she had turned her phone back on had come from Alex.

_You are so lucky I love you. I’m at the baggage claim and falling asleep, so hurry up._

Alex, who had always been well known for saying up way too late, was probably more awake than she gave herself credit for, but the text made Kara grin, anyways. “She’s probably more anxious to get home than even I am.”

Carter laughed a little. “Do you want to meet my mom before you go home?”

“Of course,” Kara answered a bit too quickly, but she couldn’t deny that she was interested in meeting the woman who’d raised such an amazing kid. “But you’ve got to be exhausted.”

She was proven wrong before the words completely left her mouth. The glass doors leading to the baggage claim came into sight and Carter immediately ran towards them. Kara, somewhat giddy, too, at the idea of being home, increased her speed to the point of almost jogging.

Before she could seek out Alex, she almost tripped over Carter and a petite, blonde woman who was hugging him fiercely, burying her nose in his curls. Kara was not one to gawk, but upon seeing the woman pull back a bit, revealing her full appearance, she did have to stop for a moment.

_Damn._

“I missed you so much,” Carter’s mother said — no, Kara was not eavesdropping, but they were close enough to hear. The woman traced Carter’s cheek with the back of a slender hand, looking at him with a tenderness that almost froze Kara entirely.

“I missed you, too,” Carter responded, hugging her once more. “I’m sorry you had to stay up so late.”

“Don’t be silly.” She punctuated the statement with a kiss on his forehead. “Besides, I was able to get some work done while I waited.”

Carter rolled his eyes in a good natured fashion. “Of course you did.” He hugged her again, but only quickly, as he pulled back and waved at Kara to come closer. “Mom, this is Kara Danvers. She sat next to me on the flight — she’s super cool.”

Kara didn’t miss the way the woman’s eyes narrowed cautiously as Carter introduced them, yet she was civil enough and stretched out a hand in greeting. “Cat Grant. Pleasure to meet you.”

“You, too,” Kara said earnestly as she shook Cat’s hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“You two talked?” Cat asked with more surprise than Kara would have expected. Carter may have seemed shy when he first boarded, but they’d sparked up a conversation easily enough.

“She’s a case manager,” Carter said quickly, either ignoring his mother’s surprise or not noticing it. “She works with the foster care system.”

Cat raised an eyebrow in interest and let her gaze trail down Kara, sizing her up quickly, as if looking for a sign as to how a social worker could afford a first class ticket. “I see. I hope my son didn’t bother you the whole flight here with questions.”

“It wasn’t any bother. It was really great talking about it with someone who cares so much. You’ve got a really great kid.” Kara winked at Carter, who beamed in return. “Besides, I can’t sleep on flights. Even red-eyes.”

Cat squeezed Carter’s shoulder at the compliment. “Well then, I’m glad to hear it.”

Kara was trying to think of a proper response, but absolutely nothing was coming to mind. Carter’s loud yawn, however, kept her from needing to.

“Manny can get your bags. Why don’t we get you into the car?” Cat whispered fondly, nudging him gently to keep him upright. He nodded sleepily, the adrenaline having worn off. To Kara, Cat added, “It was nice to have met you.”

“Yeah, you too.” Kara waved at Carter, whose eyes were looking heavier and heavier. “Goodnight, Carter.”

“Night, Kara,” Carter mumbled as Cat ushered him away and towards the cars parked outside.

Kara watched them go for a moment before she was side-tackled by who she presumed to be her sister. “Ow, don’t hurt me,” she protested, but didn’t pull back from Alex’s too-tight hug.

“Well I missed you and then you didn’t even look for me once you finally got here!” Alex pointed out, motioning in the direction Cat and Carter had disappeared off to. “Who was that?”

“I sat next to the cutest kid on the way back.” Kara hit Alex’s shoulder when the later raised an eyebrow suggestively. “A literal child, Alexandra.”

“I was kidding.” Alex linked her arm through Kara’s, tugging them closer to the baggage carousel. “How was the flight? Are you doing okay?”

Kara rested her shoulder against Alex’s leather jacket, tired and content to be on solid ground once more. “Surprisingly, yes. Carter — the kid — was super sweet. Far more helpful on a plane than you ever were.”

“Hey, I was seventeen,” Alex said with mock-insult. “But that’s good. I’ll have to call him and have him escort you the next time you get on a plane.”

“It’s a shame I didn’t ask for his phone number, then,” Kara joked in return, her eyes struggling to focus on the moving bag in front of her. “Do you remember what my bag looks like?”

“It’s kinda hard to forget.” Neither of them had yet to encounter another individual who owned a white and pink polka dotted suitcase, or rather, no one over the age of ten.

“Good,” Kara yawned, closing her eyes.

Alex muttered something Kara couldn’t quite make out under her breath, but slung an arm around Kara’s shoulders anyway. “Alright, sleepyhead, let’s get you home.”


	3. Chapter 3

“We need a Kryptonian.”

Cat Grant was standing at the head of the conference table with her hands on her hips and completely disinterested in anything else that her employees wanted to discuss. It was a project she’d been thinking of putting into implementation for several weeks, but other various disasters with the Trib and disgruntled employees had put it on the back burner for far too long.

“The fifteen year anniversary of Krypton’s Destruction is in two weeks, and since no one can find me General In-Ze,” she continued, glaring at her top reporter for emphasis, “Then we’ll need someone else.”

“Is there any particular type of person you want?” One of the braver souls asked.

It was a fair question, but Cat rolled her eyes anyways, as if they somehow should have guessed. “If you cannot get someone influential, then find me more than one sob story,” Cat ordered. “There are seven million former Kryptonians scattered throughout the globe and over forty thousand within the United States. Find them. And I am not giving you permission to give up on the General, either.”

A few heads ducked down to avoid her judgmental gaze. General In-Ze had disappeared shortly after Krypton’s dissolution as a country — alive, or at least according to the Polish government, but that was the only information anyone knew. It was unrealistic to expect any of her staff to actually succeed in tracking the woman down, but Cat was hoping for something slightly more recent to arise from their investigation. Half of her kept expecting a death certificate to pop up.

“There’s a professor in Virginia who escaped from Krypton a few months before the rebellion started,” an editor suggested. “I think his name was Kev-Em?”

“Dev-Em,” someone else corrected. “He’s a political science professor at the University of Virginia.”

“Fine, fine,” Cat sighed with a wave. She glanced impatiently at the clock — it was only five o’clock, but Cat had promised Carter that she would be home before six so they could spend some real time together after his trip to his father’s. The sleepy car ride home and brief hour that morning hadn’t been nearly enough for her. “But find others. Someone who left during the dissolution or stayed for the whole thing. Now go. Get me my story.”

She forced herself to wait another five minutes before heading to her private elevator and the car below. Her driver had been on standby for the past hour and met her with a polite smile once he saw her exit the building, most likely grateful to no longer be waiting aimlessly. Cat had already given the orders to go straight home, as fast as possible.

There were only a few times where Cat wished that she was driving herself, instead of having a private driver escort her to and from work. An impatient Cat Grant behind the wheel arrived at her destinations in record speed, although some would argue unsafely.

She fired off a few quick emails as a way to pass time, impatiently eyeing the traffic through the window. It was fortunate that she lived close to the CatCo building, else wise Cat would have been stuck waiting well over an hour.

“I could’ve walked faster,” she growled to herself as she tapped the weekend instructions for her assistants.

The complaint was quickly forgotten as the car pulled up in front of her building and Cat rushed out of the car, barely stopping to thank her driver. When she finally made it to the penthouse, she could hear Carter playing video games in the family room.

“I’m home,” she called, a bit louder than normal. Scurrying noises from the other room grew louder as Carter came barreling through the apartment, almost tackling Cat in a hug. She placed a kiss on the top of his head. “Were you good for Jesse?”

Carter’s nanny smiled from the kitchen, still packing her things, as Carter nodded with enthusiasm. “How was work?”

“Exhausting and far too long,” Cat complained, but not before wrapping her arms around him once more. The lack of physical affection that came with teenaged years seemed further off than ever with Carter’s return, although Cat knew she couldn’t get used to it. His emotionality at seeing her after being apart for so long just happened to be working in Cat’s favor. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

Jesse side-stepped around the two Grants who were still semi-occupying the doorframe. “Is there anything else you need?” she asked — one last precaution before slipping out for the weekend.

“No. Thank you, Jesse,” Cat said in an even voice, trying to act at least somewhat like a successful media mogul.

“Alright. Have a good weekend. Bye Carter!” she called as she made her way towards the elevators.

“Bye Jesse!” Carter called in return before shutting the door and returning his attention to his mother. “What?”

“Nothing,” Cat promised, still staring at him intently. “You look taller.”

Carter rolled his eyes, but grinning slightly at the suggestion. “It hasn’t even been two weeks since you last saw me, mom.”

“I know, but you look taller,” Cat insisted. She followed him over to the kitchen island, depositing her bag on the entryway desk as she moved past it. “Are you hungry?”

“Kinda,” Carter shrugged. “But there isn’t a lot of food in the kitchen.”

“I know, but the groceries are getting dropped off tomorrow morning,” Cat promised. She’d ordered significantly less food than normal over the previous three weeks, knowing that without a pre-teenaged boy in the house, she would never be able to finish it. “Would you like to go out to eat?”

“Can we order pizza in?” Carter countered with a cheeky grin that meant he knew they could.

Rather than argue the health of greasy cheese on bread, Cat acquiesced to his request and called the local pizza place after kicking off her shoes. Once she’d hung up, she turned her attention back to Carter. He was definitely taller.

“So,” she said, letting the word hang on its own for a moment. “How was Metropolis?”

“It was really good,” Carter said, repeating the words from last night, though without the almost unintelligible sleepy tinge to them. “Dad says hi. Did I tell you he took me to the Daily Planet? Perry White even let me see your old desk.”

“He still has that thing?” Carter had mentioned over the phone that his father, Daniel, had taken him to her old workplace, but the news of her old, ratty desk’s survival came as a surprise. “I thought it would be fire kindling by now.”

Carter chuckled lowly and shook his head. “It’s still there. They give it to the interns. Mr. White says its to inspire confidence, like, if she could go off and start her own company, then maybe you can be successful, too.”

“Well, that’s a creative excuse to not update his office, I’ll give him that,” Cat smirked. The desk had to be over thirty years and had to be just as frustratingly simplistic as it’d been when she used it. “How is your father? Was everything okay?”

Daniel had seemed fine when Cat dropped by halfway through Carter’s visit. Thin, still, and perhaps a bit disheveled, but relatively healthy and definitely happier than the last time Cat had seen him.

“He’s good,” Carter told her. “He said he might be coming out here next month for work.” Cat raised an eyebrow and at the sight of her distaste, Carter quickly added, “I think he’s waiting to make sure it’s official before calling you about it.”

“I’m sure he is.” Cat believed Carter in full, but she found it hard to dismiss the air of suspicion she had cultivated around her ex. “What else did you do?”

Carter happily went on, describing the various museums and parks he’d visited in the city, as well as the restaurants Daniel had introduced him to. Cat was especially surprised to hear, after having just paid for their dinner of normal pizza, that Carter had developed a taste for squid. That did not stop him from scarfing a slice down too quickly, of course.

“The flight back was pretty interesting, too,” Carter continued after Cat chastised him for eating too quickly. “Kara, the woman I sat next to, was really nice.”

Cat smiled a bit at how taken with the young woman Carter had found himself. He rarely opened up to strangers and it had surprised her greatly when he introduced her to Ms. Danvers, who’d seemed affable enough. “Cute, too,” Cat teased, nudging him with her foot in jest from her spot on the couch.

Carter kicked back in return. “I’m sure _you_ would think so,” he quipped. Cat sighed indignantly, but did not deny it verbally. “But yeah, she was really great. I’m kinda sad I didn’t ask if I could see her at work. But she said sometimes they have volunteer opportunities and I was thinking maybe I could go? I mean, if you’re busy, then maybe Jesse can come?”

Cat hummed in approval, though not necessarily promising anything. “We can look into it.”

“So how’s work?” Carter asked. “Any new disasters?”

A sly, knowing grin slipped onto Carter’s face as he waited to hear her response. Carter was well aware that there was always one disaster or another going on at CatCo, at least according to Cat’s low standards for failure in her company.

“Cheeky. As a matter of fact, things are going rather smoothly,” Carter cocked his head in disbelief, but Cat pretended not to notice. She made a habit out of not discussing her work’s issues with Carter, although he couldn’t help but overhear her conversations on the phone, most of which were not in the most civil of tones.

“Do you think,” Carter said slowly, implying that he was going to ask for something he didn’t think Cat would immediately agree to, “It would be possible to write an article on the sort of stuff Kara does? I know you’re busy and you can’t just write any article you want, but it’s important, right? All those kids who’re trying to get homes?”

“Of course it’s important,” Cat whispered softly. “I’m afraid I don’t think there will be a spot for an article on the entire child welfare system in the Trib, but,” she added, placing a hand under his chin so that he couldn’t look down in disappointment, “I can speak to the writer of the local heroes section. Someone who’s dedicated themselves to helping under privileged children most definitely qualifies as a hero.”

Carter flung himself forward into her arms, hugging her tightly. “Thanks, mom.”

“Of course, sweetheart,” Cat told him happily. “Now, why don’t we play a game of Settlers of Catan.”

They played three games — Cat winning each, although only scrapping by in the last one — before she ushered him off to bed, ignoring his cries of protest. As soon as he was tucked safely inside his bed, Cat slunk off towards her own bedroom, stripping down and changing into an old college t-shirt and pair of pajama shorts.

Rather than let sleep overcome her, however, Cat reached for her laptop, curious to learn more of the woman Carter had developed a fascination with. It was relatively easy to find the young woman on social media and through the California Department of Social Services website. She jotted down the phone number and email from the latter as reference for later, then turning her attention to the photos the young woman had posted online.

“God to be young again,” Cat muttered under her breath as she clicked on a beach photo. If she was being honest, she never had abs like those, although once upon a time she might have been able to drag a girl like that into her bed. Hell, if the girl was some pretty stranger at a bar, Cat might have gone for it anyways, but Carter’s infatuation with the young woman took away that option.

Cat eventually forced herself to exit out of the browser and drafted an email to the writer of the local heroes section informing him to make space at some point in the upcoming weeks for a hero of Cat’s choice. She, of course, would be ghost-writing the article. A fluff piece on a local do-gooder was below the talents of CatCo’s CEO by technical standards, but Cat Grant wanted to meet the young woman again, for Carter’s sake if nothing else.

_Not that I would mind seeing those legs in person_ , Cat thought to herself as she typed up a second email to Kara, reintroducing herself as Carter’s mother an extending an invitation to be a feature in the Trib. The email to her employee was sent immediately, but Cat saved the other to her draft box before she snapped the laptop closed and placed it on the night stand. While one of her subordinates may not question the late time stamp, someone like Ms. Danvers would, and Cat did not make a habit out of looking insane. She would send it in the morning, after giving Carter the opportunity to add any message he wanted to the bottom of it. After all, he was the one she was doing it all for.


	4. Chapter 4

Sitting in a beige room with horrible lighting and absolutely no windows, Cat wondered how much it would cost to renovate the building and whether or not she could use it as a tax-write off. How anyone could work in such depressing conditions was beyond her, although she supposed the bullpen out beyond the glass doors was a touch more modern than the meeting room a plucky young secretary had brought her to.

Cat’s eyes flickered up to the clock on the wall — it was only five minutes past when she was supposed to meet with Ms Danvers, but Cat had arrived a touch early, leaving her bored and critical of her surroundings.

She looked out through the windows at the small collection of people, wondering if there were typically more people in their office at any given time or if twelve was their typical operating number. It was strange for Cat, a woman accustomed to constant activity, to see such a calm and settled work environment. A flurry of motion behind the cubicle’s walls caught Cat’s attention and she watched as the top of a blonde head weaved its way towards her — undoubtedly the long awaited Kara Danvers.

Carter had spent twenty minutes after the meeting time was settled lecturing Cat on civility. With some justification, he had reminded her that she had a tendency of becoming somewhat intense, and begged her to be nice to Kara, to which Cat had agreed. It was a fluff piece, after all, not some interview with a hostile politician up for reelection. Perhaps, though, watching the young woman trip over herself as she approached, the warning wasn’t completely misguided.

“I am so sorry, Miss Grant,” Kara Danvers gasped as she pushed open the door. “I was on a call with one of our funding sources and I didn’t realize it was already two.”

“It’s alright, Ms Danvers,” Cat said smoothly, rising from her seat to extend a hand in greeting. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, in waking hours.”

Kara, for lack of a better word, beamed as she shook the offered hand. “You too. And thank you so much for this. It’s really an honor.”

“Well, Carter was quite adamant.” If he had his way, he would have been the one writing the article and interviewing Kara “You made quite the impression on him.”

“He is an amazing kid. I’m sure you hear that all the time, but I really can’t stress it enough.” The grin on the young woman’s face would’ve looked fake on anyone else, Cat thought absentmindedly as she returned to her seat. Yet both the expression and her words seemed earnest. “And you can call me Kara, by the way.”

“Thank you, Kara,” Cat said, carefully repeating the name. “Carter was thrilled to have met you. I’m glad to hear the feeling was mutual.”

“Of course.” Kara glanced down at the bag by Cat’s side and the pad of paper already out on the table. “I’ve never really done anything like this. I normally let my coworkers deal with the press stuff. Not that we get a lot, but, yeah.”

Cat smiled at the ineffectual shrug Kara finished her sentence with. “I see. Well, as I mentioned over the phone, this column is my company’s attempt at not falling entirely into a pit of cynicism. I won’t try to trick you into releasing any damaging information about the child welfare services or your boss or anything like that.”

“Promise?” Kara said with a charming little smile. Cat was beginning to understand why Carter was so fond of the girl, even if she was a bit cheeky for Cat’s taste.

“You have my word,” Cat drawled, earning another all-too charming smile from Kara.

“Okay then. What do you want to know?”

“Mainly trivial things. What inspired you to get into this line of work, where are you from, an inspiring quote or two, et cetera.” Cat missed the actual reporting side of things — it was rare that she had the opportunity to put pen to paper and put a story together herself from start to finish. True, a piece for the local heroes section wasn’t the sort of thing she wanted to write, still, Cat was trying to view it as a day off. That induced a certain amount of stress in and of itself, but she would get to see Carter before seven o’clock on a weekday, which was impossibly rare. Before eight, even, was rare.

There was a slight facial tick at the second item on Cat’s improvised list, but Cat forced herself not to pry. More likely than not, it was nothing more than an unpleasant memory or two from a less than perfect home, and moreover, Cat had promised Carter that she would be on her best behavior. Digging into that sort of thing rarely led to positive interpersonal relationships.

“I’m actually adopted myself. When I was thirteen, I was taken in by this amazing family in Midvale. My adoptive father died a year later, so I didn’t get to know him very well, but Eliza, my adoptive mom, she was really great.” Kara was looking up as she spoke, eyes focusing on an ordinary patch of ceiling. “She was really patient with me as I adjusted to their home and just incredibly supportive. Alex, Eliza’s daughter, was the same way. I got a best friend and a sister in her. But as I grew up, I realized a lot of kids aren’t so lucky. A lot age out of the system or spend their whole lives bouncing from foster home to foster home, and I wanted to make a difference for them.”

Kara brought her gaze back down from the ceiling, meeting Cat’s eyes. “I’m sorry, but can we go for a walk? I really, really hate this room.”

Cat laughed at the declaration and nodded eagerly. “Please, lead me away from this monstrosity.”

“Used to a higher standard at CatCo?” Kara teased as she held the door open.

“I have a larger budget to work with.”

“You’re telling me.” There was a hint of frustration, even envy, in Kara’s voice. “It’s not even the lack of money so much as what we can do with it. I just learned next year that an extra requirement is getting tacked on to one of our grants. We used to put about a quarter of it towards addiction treatments, counseling, that sort of stuff, but we’re now only allowed to put it towards rent and utilities.”

“Why is that so much of an issue?” Cat asked, her notepad in hand. True, none of it may make into Kara’s article, but during some slow news week, she might send one of her younger reporters off to go investigate it further.

Kara swiped her keycard to get on the elevator with a surprising amount of force, clearly agitated. “Housing is one of the main reasons kids are taken from their homes. The thought process from the higher ups is simply ‘if we give them money to pay rent, things will be fine’, right? Except for the fact a lot of these people are dealing with some form of addiction or mental health disorder, so in order to not only pay for their portion of rent and also keep from getting evicted, they need to go see professionals.”

“Keep from getting evicted?”

“Yeah. Behavioral disorders are probably the biggest concern. Sometimes, if tenants don’t have the proper support, they can act out in ways that landlords can kick them out for,” Kara half-growled. “Sorry, I’m ranting.”

“Was that the phone call you were just on?” Cat asked as she finished jotting down a quick note.

“Yeah, a friend who works in Sacramento wanted to give me the heads up.” Kara shook her head as if trying to clear the thought from her mind. “Budgets isn’t my job, though.”

Cat couldn’t help but laugh at that. “No, I don’t think you’d be much good at that.” Kara’s mouth opened to respond before Cat caught herself and quickly added, “You seem too caring to be working with numbers all day.”

The addition made Kara smile again. “I was really good at math, you know.”

“I’m sure.”

Kara led her to a park a block over that was occupied by only a few others either taking a late lunch or looking incredibly too carefree for Cat’s taste. The sunlight brought a bounce to Kara’s step and widened the already large grin, making Cat wonder how the young woman survived in an office for the majority of the day.

“What is it you actually do, then?” Cat asked as they approached a bench just out of the sun. Kara might have enjoyed its warmth, but Cat refused to get burned on their little outing.

“I’m a case manager. So I meet with different people who enter the system, figure out what they need and what programs they qualify for. Then we set up a plan for them. I keep in touch with them, make sure things are going smoothly, that things are heading in the right direction, stuff like that.”

A pigeon settled by their feet and if it hadn’t been for a whispered “aw” on Kara’s part, Cat might have kicked it away with her foot, but she permitted the flying rodent’s presence so long as it kept at least three feet away. However, she kept a wary eye on it as she asked her next question. “How long have you been doing this?”

“I started when I was twenty-three, so I guess five years now,” Kara calculated.

“I thought you said you were good at math.” Cat continued on, ignoring the faux-scandalized look on Kara’s face. “What is your favorite part of the job?”

“It doesn’t always happen, but hearing back from people a few years after they’ve left the system. We don’t always keep track of where they end up, but hearing from the kids or parents, whether foster or biological, and knowing things turned out okay means.” Kara shrugged, but it was insecure rather than casual. “It feels good to know what you do matters.”

Cat hated to admit it, but that irritatingly kind smile was quite attractive. Innocent and sweet had never been her type, but Cat could not help but privately admit that Kara Danvers managed to pull it off believably. When Kara leaned forward to shrug off her suburban cardigan, though, Cat felt justified in her attraction. The muscles certainly made the trip uptown worth it, if nothing else.

“And your least favorite part?” she forced herself to ask. A serious question might keep her mind from the gutter, if only for a moment.

Kara closed her eyes at the question and inhaled deeply, nearly making Cat regret asking. “When kids are sent to homes that shouldn’t have passed inspection. Failure happens, but it’s worse when it’s our fault.”

Cat frowned at the statement. “Is it your job to inspect the homes?” Kara shook her head. “Then it is not your failure.”

“Can I ask you a question?” Kara asked as a way of response.

“I can’t promise I’ll answer.”

The laugh was nearly as endearing as the smile, Cat decided silently. “Why did you do this interview instead of sending an employee? Isn’t it normally Jerry Graham who writes this column.”

Cat pursed her lips in surprise at the question, raking her eyes over Kara twice while deciding how to respond. “I didn’t realize you read the Trib.”

“I do read your newspaper, but I’ll admit, I had to look up who wrote the local heroes section,” Kara admitted with a loop-sided smile that came off as nervous pretending to be cocky. “It’s kinda hard to believe that the CEO was the one usually writing it.”

“Carter,” Cat answered honestly and simply. “He doesn’t open up to many people easily. He’s polite, of course, I raised him well, but I’ve never heard him talk about a stranger before like he did about you. So my curiosity was piqued.”

It may have been the heat, but a small blush appeared to be creeping up Kara’s neck as she took in the compliment. “I’m glad it did. I didn’t really realize who I was talking to at the airport.”

“No?” Cat was hardly surprised to hear it. She was a household name within the elite only, with most of National City knowing who she was only after some prompting. “I suppose I should be thankful for that.”

“Why?” Kara’s lack of cynicism was staggering to Cat — perhaps she ought to take over the local heroes section, if all of the do-gooders were so innocent. Somehow, Cat thought, the act might grow old on someone other than Kara.

“Because it means you weren’t being kind to Carter just because he is my son.” It did not matter when civility was shown towards Carter out of respect towards Cat, but hearing that someone he’d actually come to admire only spoke with him out of his parentage was a different matter. “How are you not twice as cynical by now after five years working in the government?”

“Is that a question for your article?”

“Yes.”

Kara snorted and shrugged. “Luck? Eating too much sugar?”

“Well you’re no help at all,” Cat said with an incredulous roll of the eyes.

“I’d like to think I’m extremely helpful,” Kara joked. There was a hint of childlike mischief in her blue eyes, one which Cat struggled to believe could be in anyone over the age of twenty five

Cat refrained from rolling her eyes again, but she couldn’t help but mirror the smile on Kara’s lips. Happiness could be contagious, apparently.

A harsh ring from her purse drew Cat’s attention away from Kara’s bubbly disposition, drawing her back into the world of rushed deadlines and sudden disasters. For a moment, Cat considered ignoring it, but the trill continued, returning her to her senses,

“I have to take this,” Cat said, offering an apologetic look as she picked up the phone.

 _“Miss Grant, I’m so, so sorry. I know you’re out of the office, but we have an emergency,”_ Dagny-known-as-Daphne, her second assistant, sputtered on the other end of the line.

“Then use your words and tell me what it is,” Cat said dryly. She had promised Carter that she would make an effort for Kara, not her employees.

_“Mr. Dills is here. He’s drunk, Miss Grant. Security wants to know what to do with him.”_

Cat groaned internally. Dills, an editor of hers, had been on a downward spiral for nearly three weeks. She had seen and discussed several hung over episodes with the man, but they were clearly lost on him if he had upgraded his idiotic misadventures.

“Have security hold him until I get back,” Cat growled. She should have fired him after the first episode, but he had a pregnant wife at home, and Cat had hoped, for her sake, he would get his act together. “I’m on my way.”

She was met with a look of disappointment from Kara, although the young woman was clearly trying to pull on a brave face. “I’m sorry, Kara, I have to go.”

“No, it’s fine.” Kara waved at her building. “I have a lot of work to do anyways.”

Cat grimaced at the thought of the dingy beige office Kara’s work was dashed in, but she turned her attention back down to her phone for an instant to text her driver and inform him of the change in plans. In all honesty, Cat had enough information to write the piece. It was not a lengthy column by any stretch, nor was Kara’s story particularly difficult to make inspiring, but the thought of leaving with such a disappointing end left a sour taste in Cat’s mouth.

“Would you like to come over to my apartment for dinner at some point?” Cat offered. “I know Carter would love to see you again, and we could discuss this a little further.”

“I’d love that!” The words came out rather quickly and the redness once more returned to Kara’s cheeks, indicating that it was, in fact, a blush and not just the heat. “When works for you?”

“This Sunday?” Sundays were always carefully arranged to ensure the maximum amount of time was spent with Carter, though Cat was certain he would not mind sharing the evening with Kara. “Unless you have plans.”

“No, this Sunday’s fine!” Kara agreed. “Should I bring anything?”

Cat stood as her driver came into sight, shaking her head at the request. “No. I’ll send you an email with the details. Is that fine?”

“Of course.” Kara stood with her and walked towards the waiting car, as well. “Good luck with your emergency.”

“Good luck with your nightmare of an office.”


End file.
